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American Red Cross Stresses Family Preparedness
During National Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 7-13
Dayton, Ohio, October 12, 2007—The American Red Cross urges families to prepare for and prevent a home fire during National Fire Prevention Week—Practice Your Escape Plan, October 7-13. Nationally, the number of home fires the Red Cross responds to is up 10 percent since the year 2000. Alarmingly, only 26 percent of families have actually developed and practiced a home fire escape plan, according to a May 2006 poll conducted by ORC International on behalf of the Red Cross.
The Dayton Area Chapter responds to nearly 200 local fires and disasters annually. Preventing a home fire doesn’t require a lot of expensive equipment or training, and Fire Prevention Week is a great time to get started. In addition to having working smoke alarms, one of the easiest ways you can prepare is to develop and practice a home fire escape plan so that every family member can escape quickly and safely. A home fire escape plan includes at least two escape routes for every room in the home, and a convenient meeting place at a safe distance from a fire.
The American Red Cross offers the following recommendations regarding fire escape plans:
- Family plans should include two ways to escape from every room in the home.
- Practice your escape plan at least twice a year.
- Select a safe location away from the home where your family can meet after escaping.
- Consider purchasing and storing escape ladders for rooms above ground level and practice using them.
- If you see smoke or fire in your first escape route, use your second way out.
- If you must exit through smoke, crawl low under the smoke.
- Before escaping through a closed door, feel the door before opening it. If it is warm, use your second escape route.
- If smoke, heat or flames block both of your exit routes, stay in the room with the door closed. Place a rolled towel underneath the door. Signal for help by waving a brightly colored cloth or shining a flashlight at the window. If there is a telephone in the room, call the fire department and let them know your exact location inside the home.
- Once you’ve escaped your home, stay out.
For more Red Cross fire safety and preparedness information visit www.redcross.org/homefires
The Dayton Area Chapter of the American Red Cross provides disaster preparedness and response, and health and safety education to residents of Preble, Montgomery and Greene counties, as well as assistance to families with members in the military. The Chapter also operates Emergency Housing Programs in Montgomery and Greene counties. Led by volunteers, the Dayton Area Chapter responded to nearly 200 disaster incidents last year. The Dayton Area Chapter is a United Way agency.
All local Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. You can help the victims of area disasters by making a financial gift to the Dayton Area Chapter, which enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to those in need. Contributions may be sent to: The American Red Cross, Dayton Area Chapter P.O. Box 517, Dayton, OH 45401-0517.
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